Save your selection of topics

Create an account to be able to save your selection of topics. Your selection will be saved to your account and available every time you login to your different devices; computer, tablet or smartphone.

Sign up

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has announced that the Government of Ecuador has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to continue the process of RSPO Jurisdictional Certification, placing them as pioneers in Latin America. According to RSPO, the decision marks "a very important step" in the future of sustainable palm oil production in the region.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an international not-for-profit organisation that unites stakeholders from grower to consumer across the palm oil industry value chain has announced that the Government of Ecuador has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to continue the process of RSPO Jurisdictional Certification, placing them as pioneers in Latin America.

According to RSPO, the decision marks a “very important step” in the future of sustainable palm oil production in the region with jurisdictional certification being “a more structured approach” to previous efforts to establish sustainable practices within the sector.

With the commitment of the Ecuadorian government to adopt and implement the RSPO principles and criteria at the national level, it ensures the inclusion of all stakeholders in the production chain.

– This is a visionary initiative for a palm oil producing country. The challenges will be substantial, but so too will be the long-term rewards. The Multi-stakeholder collaborative approach, taken here, will be the key in bringing this initiative across the finish line, said Darrel Webber, CEO of RSPO in a statement.

Beginning of joint effort

The signing of the MoU was the most relevant point of the “International Workshop on Juridical Approaches in Palm Production Areas: Concepts, Challenges, and Opportunities”, held in Quito on March 28 and 29.

Organized by WWF, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries and RSPO, it marks the beginning of a joint effort with various stakeholders, many of the members of the productive chain, civil society and state institutions, who have expressed their will and commitment to move forward towards sustainable palm oil production, based on the RSPO standards.

– For the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture, and Fisheries of Ecuador, the opportunity to achieve RSPO jurisdictional certification is a great motivation to continue with the transformation of the oil palm chain in a productive, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive way, said Carol Chehab, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries.